Highway of the Saints
by liana1
Summary: G1 - Chromia comes to a decision


"I'm driving down the highway of the saints, keeping an eye on a friend of mine, who wishes no complaints when all the strength had left her and hope had become faint driving down the highway of the saints." -Highway of the Saints, the Continental Drifters, the Continental Drifters 1995  
  
It's so hard to move anymore. Why is it so hard to move? The Femme moaned softly. I don't want to get up anyway. There isn't anything worth getting up for. She lay there quietly. Why do I feel this way? Her mind wandered from dark thought to dark thought until it came across a small chink of light. She smiled when she saw it. It gave off a warm feeling inside her. I should know this from somewhere. She reached out to touch it but she couldn't quite grasp it. A bit bewildered, she reached further out to grasp it again but it always remained just out of her reach. Crying out in frustration, she lunged for it. It moved away but not before her fingers touched it and slid through it. To her surprise, it was slightly tangible and left a residue, shimmering white, on her fingertips. She shuddered as the residue dissipated, only to feel it permeate her mind, a soft warmth entering her spark. I know this. Calmly, she looked at the light. It stayed close by but always out of reach. Why? It's a part of me. Why? What's there that I'm not to remember? She shut her optics and absorbed both the darkness and the tiny tendrils of light. . .  
  
******  
  
The Femme sat cross-legged in the darkness, gazing at the soft sphere of light. "What do I have to do to reach you?" "Let me reach you." The voice was male with a strong accent, and it was familiar to her. Startled, she looked around. "Who are you? I know you from somewhere . . . " "And I know you. You've been an integral part of my life for a very long time, as I have been with you. We're a part of each other." She didn't need to ponder his words or the meaning of what he was saying. She knew it was true. "I want you back. But I can't do anything until you're ready and want me back as well." "I'm ready. I want you back." The light danced closer to her.  
  
******  
  
*Five years after Prime's return and three years after the Dedication took place* "What?!" "Electra, please listen . . . " "I am listening, Prime," the midnight blue Femme retorted. "You're just not explaining fast enough." She folded her arms and scowled at him. Where have I heard that one before? And where have I seen that look? Quickly, before she said anything, Optimus dismissed the questions and started to explain. "She needs a break, Electra. She's gone nonstop since Cyclonus nearly killed her three years ago." Electra stared at him for a moment. "There's more, isn't there?" "What? What do you mean?" "There's something behind this, otherwise you'd understand why she's doing this. . . . . You're afraid of something, aren't you?" "What? No. Of course not!" he replied quickly. "Yes, there is," she shot back. "You're afraid she's gonna get killed!" Quietly, almost to herself, "Like Ironhide." The statement jarred him. Before he could answer, his comm beeped. He turned away from Electra and answered, a bit angry at the interruption. From behind, he heard Electra leave rather quickly. "Prime here," he said testily. "Prime? This is Elita." The Femme commander sounded upset. "What is it, Elita?" "I'm in Repair Bay with Chromia. . ." "What happened?" he interrupted, alarmed. "Is she all right?" "I don't know, Optimus. She climbed into a ventilation shaft to install the security system when a small explosion . . ." "I'll be right there. Prime out." He hurried to Repair Bay.  
  
The sight that greeted him in Repair Bay was nothing short of shocking. Elita was sitting on a table, having a deep gash on her left arm repaired. Star and Arcee were completely repaired but unconscious, Electra and Springer at their sides. Wheelie was just getting down from having his leg repaired. A small explosion? he thought increduly. He rushed over to Elita immediately. She smiled rather faintly. "The roof collapsed afterwards. Chromia caught the brunt of it, though. . ." Optimus realized he hadn't seen Chromia when he walked in. "She's in emergency repair," Elita said, as if she could hear the next question. "We just have to wait. . . "  
  
Hours later. . . .  
  
"She's stabilized now, Prime, but we weren't able to repair all of the damage." Electra, who'd waited vigil with her sister, Prime, and Elita, looked at the medic, her expression dead. "She's lost almost half her memory," she stated flatly and rather accusingly. The medic stared at Electra in shock. "We're. . . we're not entirely wh-what the damage is," he stammered. Prime and Elita looked at the young Femme. "The neuro circuity to most of her memory has been damaged. No telling how long, if ever, she'll remember what she's lost," Electra said. Looking at the medic, she scowled a bit. "It's rather convenient it's her memories of Ironhide that are blocked." "Electra, how can you be sure. . . ?" Elita began. "We're telepaths," Star said quietly. "We've been using our powers to help Chromia deal with his death." "I thought you didn't like her. Why help?" "We have our reasons, Optimus. When she remembers, you'll understand. But not before then." Quietly, the twins left. For a moment, no one spoke, all stunned at the revelation. The medic shook his head. "We'll still have to wait and see if what Electra says is true. If it is true, if it is, new quarters would be in order. Her staying there could lead to. . . problems." Prime nodded. "Let me know when she's awake." The medic nodded and Prime and Elita left.  
  
An hour after her emergency repair, Chromia came to. She didn't notice much at first, except for a pounding in her head and a dull ache. Slowly, sitting up, she looked around. Across the room stood Optimus, Elita and . . . she tried vainly to recall their names. She had no doubts that she knew them but she no longer remembered how and from when. It was the first of many things, she soon discovered, that she didn't remember. The ache inside her steadily grew.  
  
Twenty five years later . . . .  
  
Electra and Star stood outside on the landing bay, waiting for the alien shuttlecraft to land. It hovered for a few moments before it dropped suddenly then stopped. With a jerk, it landed. Its occupants, two Femmes and two Mechs, disembarked. The four youths were something of an odd assortment. The oldest of them was a red and white Femme with warm blue optics and a soft smile. If he had been alive, she'd have stood optic level with Ironhide. Unlike most Femmes, she had soft, metallic fibers, red in colour, in place of a helmet and they were pulled back. The second Femme matched the other in height and was gold and white, with the same blue optics and soft smile. Her gold-coloured hair was woven about her head in the form of a helmet. The two Mechs stood taller than the Femmes, and one was a deep blue and white, resembling Ironhide a great deal, the other silver and white, and both sharing many of the same traits as the Femmes. Electra and Star walked towards them, joy and concern on their faces.  
  
Chromia stared blankly at the console. Something was going to set her off soon and she knew it. The dull ache within her had worsened over the years. She slumped in her chair, her left arm dangling over the side, and sighed. Optimus looked at the Femme, a sadness in his optics. For the last twenty five years, Chromia had no recollection of Ironhide. And, for the last twenty five years, he, Elita, and many of the medics had discouraged her from remembering him, even having gone as far as to assign her to new quarters and monitoring all of the conversations she had with others. He and Elita had hoped that the old Chromia would resurface. Instead, she'd become depressed and lethargic. Hope no longer existed in her optics and everyday life had become a struggle for her. Fearing she wouldn't survive a firefight, Prime immediately assigned her to security detail, to watching monitors and other mundane tasks. Prime sighed, which got a slight reaction from Chromia. "Chromia. . ." "Yes?" The reply that came back was dull and listless. He shook his head. "Take a break. Go outside for a while." "But. . ." "I can handle it from here. Now go." "Yes, Optimus." The Femme got up slowly and trudged out the door.  
  
"Where is she now?" Electra focused for a moment. "Heading outside. Where, I don't know. It's hard to tell sometimes. Her thoughts are so random and fleeting. It's a mess, really." The red and white Femme nodded, frowning a little bit. Electra grinned a bit. "Lookout Mountain sounds good to me." She took off, the rest following her.  
  
Darknova glowered as he walked out of Repair Bay. I can't believe that they want to listen to those two airhead Femmes!! I know what I'm talking about! They don't! Twenty five years ago, he'd performed the emergency repairs that saved Chromia's life. It was also at that time that he blocked all of her memories regarding her deceased boyfriend, Ironhide. If only I could get near her, I could prove to her that I can treat her better! He'd loved her from the moment he'd met her, thirty five years before. But he had been alive back then, getting ready to leave for Moonbase One. Darknova had witnessed a few arguments between them and had wondered since then what Chromia saw in an old goat like Ironhide. Since Ironhide's death, Darknova had tried to get her to go out with him but it always came down to, "I'm sorry. I can't. I still love Ironhide." When he'd blocked her momories of him, he figured he stood a chance until the twins, Electra and Star, began taking care of Chromia when the depression and lethargy hit. Hearing footsteps ahead of him, he stopped his brooding for a moment and saw Chromia meandering towards an exit. Electra and Star were nowhere in sight. . . He followed her, hoping for a brief moment alone with her.  
  
"Soundwave. Report." "Six Autobots on Lookout Mountain. Two more heading there, one a good deal ahead of the other." Megatron grinned as the Decepticons flew towards Autobot City. "We land at Lookout Mountain."  
  
"She's getting closer, Shaene." The red Femme smiled at her twin brother. "I know, Derrek." She looked at the other two. "Goldstarr, Sylverstreak, it's almost time." The gold Femme and silver Mech just nodded, engrossed in their own private conversation. Electra gazed in the direction Chromia was coming from and Star looked in the direction the Decepticons were flying in. "We have company," they said simultaneously.  
  
The Decepticons landed first and quickly cornered the young Autobots, separating Electra and Star from the others. Megatron levelled his fusion cannon at Shaene. Liana and Bluestar landed at that moment. "Dad, no!" Liana ran over as Shaene and Megatron looked at her. She gently rested a hand on his right arm. "Why shouldn't I, Liana? It'd be one less Autobot to worry about!" Shaene just stared at him, her expression unwavering. "Dad. . . please. Don't do this." Megatron kept his gaze and his cannon on Shaene. "Megatron, we don't have to worry about them. They harbour their own secrets. That's why they're here." Megatron didn't look at Elexis as the grey Femme stepped forward. He focused more on the Femme in front of him, taking in some small details. . . she reminded him of someone from the past . . . "My father. . . " "What?" He looked at her, confused. "You have that look in your optics. The one that says they're familiar or they remind me of someone. I remind you of my father, Ironhide. Just as I will when my mother gets here." Her expression softened and saddened. "But we've arrived too late." Megatron later realized what she had been talking about.  
  
Chromia arrived at that moment. It took less than a second for her to recognize the Femme that Megatron held at gunpoint, and her siblings. With a strangled cry, she leapt forward, some life returning to her. Megatron, upon hearing her cry, kept his cannon trained on the Femme in front of him. "Don't move, Chromia." She stopped. "Let her go." Megatron, for once, didn't answer with an ultimatum. His mind churned, suddenly caught between being a parent and being a Decepticon. "Do you know this Femme, Chromia?" For a moment, Chromia stared at her daughter. Hesitantly, she nodded. "Yes, I believe so. I believe I know all of them. They're. . . " Several shots cut Chromia short, sending her plummeting into a world of darkness. Her last memories were of more laserfire, some of it from behind her, the rest from in front. . .  
  
Triage walked out of Repair Bay, his face grim. Elita and Optimus were waiting outside the doors with the three sets of twins. "Triage, how are they?" "Darknova was D.O.A., Prime. The numerous shots were simply too much." Prime nodded stiffly. "And what about Chromia?" Triage shook his head sadly. "She won't make it for much longer. Her vitals are simply too weak." "But . . . but she's suffered worse before, Triage! She. . ." Elita cried. "She's been depressed for some time now, Elita. She may have suffered worse before but she never sank into a severe depression, either. It makes a difference." Triage looked at them, the crestfallen faces of Optimus and Elita, and the extremely sad faces of the twins before him. He felt like kicking himself. No one ever said this job would be easy, he thought sourly. "You can go in to see her now." He stepped to one side, allowing them into Repair Bay. They walked over to Chromia, the oldest of each set of twins on one side and the youngest on the other with Prime and Elita at the foot of the bed.  
  
******  
  
The Femme never twitched as the light hovered mere inches in front of her. A soft breeze blew pass. "Please, come back . . ." "We need you here. . ." "Please, don't leave. . . " "Come back . . ." The male voice from before spoke up. It was tinged with hope and a sadness. "Just let the light enter you and flood you. Then you can go back." She stared tiredly at the sphere. "But I don't want to go back. . ."  
  
"I want to go home," Chromia breathed. She remained unconscious. "No, Chromia, please," Elita begged, knowing it was useless. "Please stay. Come back. Please." Optimus held Elita close. Electra placed a hand on Elita's shoulder. "Let her go, Elita. It's time." She didn't look happy about the thought of Chromia dying. "Electra. . ." "We can't fight her. Not about this. She's already decided." With that, the six youngsters each placed a hand on Chromia's arms and closed their optics. . .  
  
The light swiftly suffused her, filling her with a sense of tranquility, the love of friends, and more. Once it completely disappeared, she looked at Ironhide and smiled. "Let's go home." She stood up and took him by the hand, dragging him to his feet. Leaning forward, she kissed him and the darkness around them shifted into a shimmering blue.  
  
The life monitors beeped in alarm as Chromia's life signs rapidly flatlined, her blue and white form turning dark and her optics dimming until they were out. "That's it," Elita said, in complete shock. "They're both gone. . . gone forever." Chromia's arms were gently folded onto her abdomen. Shaene looked at her mother sadly. "She found her way to him, Elita. She's safe now. And happy." "Found her way to who?" Elita ventured, not sure if she wanted to hear the answer. "To our dad, of course." The six of them lowered their hands and took a step back from Chromia's now lifeless form. Elita just looked at the red Femme and her siblings. It was then she noticed the resemblance. "Welcome. . ."  
  
". . . home," Ironhide grinned. Chromia smiled back and kissed him once more. "Come on," she whispered. They transformed and drove off into the distance, a gold light enveloping them and taking them to wherever they desired. 


End file.
